F1 Japanese GP Free Practice 3 standings
Here is the complete classification at the end of Free Practice 3 of the 2026 F1 Japanese GP:
Read more Verstappen disappointment, Hadjar and Lindblad eliminate him in Q2
| Pos | Driver | Team | Gap | Tyres | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:29.362 | Soft | 18 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.254 | Soft | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.867 | Soft | 20 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | +1.002 | Soft | 19 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +1.021 | Soft | 23 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | +1.238 | Soft | 13 |
| 7 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.296 | Soft | 21 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-RB Ford | +1.548 | Soft | 22 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.638 | Soft | 21 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | +1.720 | Soft | 20 |
| 11 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull-RB Ford | +1.732 | Soft | 21 |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-RB Ford | +1.735 | Soft | 21 |
| 13 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-RB Ford | +1.926 | Soft | 17 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | +1.964 | Soft | 22 |
| 15 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | +2.196 | Medium | 18 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | +2.371 | Soft | 20 |
| 17 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | +2.397 | Soft | 25 |
| 18 | Carlos Sainz | Williams-Mercedes | +2.467 | Soft | 26 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac-Ferrari | +3.141 | Soft | 20 |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac-Ferrari | +3.178 | Soft | 18 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Honda | +4.123 | Soft | 19 |
| 22 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | +4.167 | Soft | 14 |
FP3 report at Suzuka
Mercedes confirms itself as unreachable and perhaps unbeatable at the start of this season, securing the entire front row of the grid for the 2026 Japanese GP in Free Practice 3. The fight for pole position – qualifying scheduled for 7:00 AM Italian time, live text report on FormulaPassion.it from 6:45 AM – indeed seems to be an all-Mercedes affair for Toto Wolff‘s garage, with the recent winner in Shanghai, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, looking to try and get the better of his teammate George Russell again.
The Italian driver set the fastest time in FP3, finishing the usual qualifying simulation with new Soft tires and low fuel on board with a time of 1:29.362. A lap sufficient for the partial joy of first position and, above all, to distance his fearsome teammate by two and a half tenths.
For everyone else, however, there only seem to be crumbs: Charles Leclerc is indeed third, at the wheel of a Ferrari SF-26 that appears to be a completely different beast compared to the almost undriveable car seen in Friday’s practice, but still nearly nine tenths off the top. The fight, after all, is right here, with the McLarens also joining the party, foreshadowing a tight battle for the second and third rows.
Read more 2026 Japanese GP: Qualifying report
In fourth place is Oscar Piastri, but already a second behind Antonelli, with Lewis Hamilton fifth just 19 thousandths behind the Australian. Another difficult day for Lando Norris: the world champion is sixth with a 1.2 gap from the top, but he again missed more than the first half hour of practice due to a battery pack problem. Max Verstappen isn’t smiling either, only eighth (behind Hulkenberg’s Audi) with a second and a half delay from the leader.
2026 F1 Japanese GP, live and Free Practice 3 standings
You can relive the excitement of the third and final free practice session in Japan with our live report.
Weekend schedule
Formula 1 returns to the track in the Italian morning, with the highly anticipated qualifying scheduled for 7:00 AM. Tomorrow, Sunday March 29, however, marks the last very early wake-up call of this start of the championship – assuming you decide to follow the race live – with the Japanese GP, the third round of the 2026 F1 World Championship which will start again at 7:00 AM Italian time (but be careful not to be caught off guard by the switch from standard time to daylight saving time). Here are all the weekend times with details of the television coverage.
